Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Saudi Arabia-based digital company that offers telecommunications services, has deployed Huawei's BladeAAU Pro solution on its sites for the first time.
The solution boasts support for installing sub-3 GHz full-band passive antennas on a single pole. Its performance meets the expectations of STC and has provided strong support for its simplified network strategy, said a press release from the Chinese multinational technology corporation.
"With its premium 5G service experience and wide-reaching support for 5G terminals, STC Saudi Arabia saw an explosive increase in its 5G user bases from Q4 2020 onwards," the release said.
The growing number of users creates a larger demand for both capacity and in-depth coverage, which has pushed the carrier to expand continuous Massive MIMO deployment at a large scale to ensure a good experience for all of its users, it added. In 2021, it has listed "simplification" as a major strategy for network evolution.
"BladeAAU Pro integrates Massive MIMO AAUs and full-band passive antennas into the most compact design possible. This small-form-factor is important for STC Saudi Arabia as it allows Massive MIMO to be quickly deployed on a single pole while accommodating sub-3 GHz full-band passive antennas. With this significant simplification of site deployment, both the initial construction costs and subsequent rent can be reduced greatly," it added.
The release said that the successful deployment of BladeAAU Pro fits STC Saudi Arabia's strategy for simplified networks. The two parties will continue to collaborate to verify and scale up the latest 5G technologies, which help build 5G Gigabit cities across the country with better 5G networks that ensure the best mobile Gigabit experience for users, it claimed.